


Stars and Roses Volume 1

by Miki_13



Series: Stars and Roses [1]
Category: RWBY, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Crystal Gems (Steven Universe), Canon Divergence, Character Study, Crossover, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Slow Burn, character-focus, steven universe rwby crossover, steven universe rwby fusion, will add more characters, world-building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:35:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miki_13/pseuds/Miki_13
Summary: When his and his aunt's farm is destroyed, Oscar Pine knew that his life was going to change and he knew he would adapt to it. After all, that was how he survived before.But even he is taken back by his new home's residents: an energetic boy who believes in everyone, an analytic bespectacled girl who never took off her hat or scarf, a four-time champion student and a trio of powerful and eccentric huntresses whose specialty laid in taking down gem monsters rather than grimm.
Relationships: Amethyst & Garnet & Pearl & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Oscar Pine & Andy DeMayo, Steven Universe & Oscar Pine, Steven universe & phyrra nikos, connie maheswaran & phyrra nikos, oscar pine & connie maheswaran, oscar pine & phyrra nikos, ozpin & steven universe, ozpin & the crystal gems
Series: Stars and Roses [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1595611
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

"So, yer th' ones DeMayo put in his word fer."

"Yes."

"Now you gotta understand I won't be going easy on either of you."

"Of course not."

"I expect you both to pull yer weight 'round here. Got it?"

"My nephew and I have managed a farm by ourselves before."

Bartelby Brunswick looked them over and Oscar straightened his back further, matching the man's gaze.

"I expect ya both up at five t'morrow. If ya can't pull yer own weight, don't expect us to carry it."

Auntie Gale nodded forward and Oscar smiled with relief. One of the younger workers- a robust girl around seventeen with dark auburn hair and eyes, green tunic and light magenta sash tied around her waist- led them over to the houses, showing them their living quarters. "Breakfast's at five-thirty over yonder," she explained, pointing over near the center of Brunswick Farms. 

"Thank ye kindly," Auntie Gale nodded to her before the girl offered her her hand. "Name's Fern Melville. Glad t' have ya both."

"Gale Pine. The pleasure's mine."

Oscar blushed a bit as Fern bent down to look him over, eyes averting from her pink gaze. "O-Oscar," he managed out.

Fern gave him a crooked smile as she ruffled his hair. "Pleasure t' make yer acquaintance."

"Hey now Fern, they just got here!"

Auntie Gale turned around and grinned at the sight of the man with bomber jacket and gray hair, shaking his head with fond exasperation and earning an eyeroll from Fern before his aunt and the man hugged each other tightly.

"Andesine DeMayo, it's been too long."

"C'mon, ya know I don't like bein' called that." He withdrew, wiping a tear away, voice wavering. "I'm so glad th' two of you made it okay. I was so worried somethin' might've happened..."

Auntie Gale's grin softened and ruffled his hair. "We got here, that's what matters."

Mr. DeMayo gave a shaky laugh before he looked Oscar's way, smiling broadly as he looked him over. "So this must be Mayre and Sal's boy, right? You were just a baby last I saw ya!"

Oscar wasn't sure what to say to this but settled for offering his hand. "Thank you for everything, Mr. DeMayo."

Mr. DeMayo grinned before slapping his back. "Polite, just like yer old man! Just call me Andy, all right? And don't either of ya hesitate to ask fer anythin', got it? Family helps family!"

* * *

When Oscar first arrived at Brunswick Farms, he didn't know what to expect. Then again, it didn't matter; whenever something unexpected happened, he rolled with it. It was how he and his aunt had kept their small farm up and running on the edge of their settlement. It was how they put food on the table, how they earned their money and how they fended off the animal-pests and occasional grimm. When life threw lemons their way, Oscar and Gale Pine would make everything from lemonade to lemon bread and anything lemon-based.

But a freak blizzard that not only destroyed the crops that had yet to be harvested, and the monster that had attacked during so... that had been more difficult to roll with. Oscar had only heard of gem monsters in stories and were said to be so strong, even grimm avoided them. 

Aside from a few books, about a thousand lien (which whittled down to about thirty after taking the Argus Limited Train), Oscar and Gale had nothing else to their name. It was only because Mr. DeMayo, a family friend of Auntie Gale's, putting in a word for them that the two had been able to come down to Brunswick Farms as quickly as they did.

But within the week that he and Auntie Gale arrived, Oscar found himself adjusting well enough to life on Brunswick Farms. Being around so many other people was something it took him a bit to get used to; even back home, Oscar never strayed far from the farm unless it was to get supplies inside the settlement.

Now, Oscar awoke alongside a dozen other people, tending to entire fields of crops inside greenhouses- which while familiar enough, he still needed to be coached through- and tending to many more animals; the old farm had a single goat, three chickens and if they were lucky, rabbits. Here, there were multiple rams and sheep, cows, donkeys, pigs, geese and-

**_"Ne-e-i-i-g-h-h!"_ **

"Whoa-! _Oof!"_

"Don't mind Sawdust, he's always jittery 'round newcomers," Fern called over with a laugh.

Oscar panted for breath from where he fell on his back, face burning as he pulled himself up. The light brown horse continued to rear up, snorting all the meanwhile and Oscar winced as he hastily finished filling the horse's sack to oats and moved on; thank the Brothers this was the last horse he had to feed.

The meals were definitely louder and more crowded than Oscar was used to, often sandwiched between the various families- mainly the Putnams and Melvilles and workers the Brunswicks employed. He was still trying to remember everyone's names and while he missed the smaller, quieter meals that were between him and Auntie Gale, there was something satisfying to be surrounded by people who worked as hard as he did. Once lunch was finished, Oscar made his way to the chickens.

While this "normal" was taking a while to adjust to, Oscar was confident he could-

**_"SCREEEE!"_ **

"GEM MONSTERS!"

The workers around the greenhouse raced away as a ten-foot long poison-green and black centipede-like creature loomed over them. Oscar tried to run only for his foot to hit something and he fell into the snow. He heard hissing and felt something hot against his leg before agony shot up the limb. He cried out, trying to curl into a ball to stave off the pain only to find one of the centipede monsters was crawling over him. He could hear Auntie Gale and Mr. DeMayo scream his name as it opened it's pincers over him and OH BROTHERS ABOVE WAS THAT AN EYEBALL IN IT'S MOUTH WHY WAS THERE AN EYEBALL IN IT'S MOUTH-

**Clang!**

Oscar blinked up as the centipede monster was punched right off of him, hair blown back by the tailwind of the blow. A dark-skinned woman with visor, tied-back black afro and gauntlets stood over him, offering her hand. Before he could take it, Oscar heard another screech and saw the larger centipede monster approaching. Even as he called out to warn her, the visor-woman was already turning around. Electricity crackled down her gauntlets, and Oscar's ears rang as the creature screeched with agony around her grip. "ASTER!" she bellowed, a strange accent to her tone. 

The next moment, something long and thin wrapped around his waist and yanked him back, a dark-skinned stout woman with white hair tied back catching him with ease. She was about to set him down only for smaller centipede monsters to start swarming around her. "PRIM!" she barked and Oscar yelped as he was thrown through the air.

A thin red-haired woman thankfully caught him with ease and twirled through the air with grace. Blood rushed to Oscar's head as he clung to her for dear life before they landed. The pain in his legs and the vertigo made Oscar pitch forward before Mr. DeMayo caught him. "GARDENIA!" she called back.

The visor-woman, Gardenia, threw the centipede-like monster onto it's back and Aster and Prim brandished a whip and spear respectively as they leaped into the fray. Oscar watched in silent amazement over Mr. DeMayo's shoulder as the monsters that flattened everything in it's wake be taken out with ease by the three women. Three resounding **POOF!s** later and light green vapor poured from the area. Oscar's eyes squeezed shut before he felt Auntie Gale tighten her arms around him and he returned the hug with equal relief.

Once the smoke cleared, Farmer Brunswick headed over to the three huntresses. The rest of the workers got up and quickly returned to their stations. "Well, that was a thing!" Fern remarked with an amazed grin, wiping the sweat off her brow.

 _"Just what in Remnant were ya thinkin' throwing an injured kid 'round, ya glorified mercenaries?!"_ Mr. DeMayo yelled in fury at the three women, fist shaking their way. _"I oughta-!"_

Oscar winced at his yelling but Farmer Brunswick and the three huntresses ignored him. Auntie Gale carried him away carefully and he watched over her shoulder as they received a lien card from the head farmer and left without anymore fanfare.

* * *

"So... those huntresses doing this is normal?" Oscar asked once Fern finished bandaging up his leg; he was off work-rotation for the foreseeable future and he had a feeling Mr. DeMayo wasn't going to let him out of his sight for it either.

"Yeah. Head Farmer hires 'em every now and then t' get grimm an' gem monsters off our backs. Works for us too; they're dirt cheap!"

Oscar nodded along slowly to this, brows furrowed as his fingers inched to the new bandages on his leg.

_Looks like my "normal" is changing again.  
_

* * *

"Are we sure that's the last of them?" Pearl asked nervously, snow crunching beneath her feet. "I don't like how close that was."

"Lighten up, P," Amethyst drawled, tossing her ponytail. "We got 'em, didn't we?"

Her casual expression became annoyed as she thumbed at the brace she was wearing, making her skin flicker back from brown to purple. "Wish we didn't have to wear these things though..."

"That wasn't the mother Centipeetle. It was one of it's children." Pearl and Amethyst froze at Garnet's declaration, turning to her with trepidation. "It's still out there."

Her lip turned in a grimace; if she had been even a second later, that child- who couldn't have been older than _Steven_ \- would have been...!

Garnet shook her head. It didn't matter anymore. That was the past. She saved him, and that was what mattered. "Let's regroup back at the temple."

Pearl and Amethyst nodded and the three quickly raced through the woods.

* * *

Steven Universe hummed with delight, pulling his jacket around him a bit tighter to stave off the cold. It didn't matter that it was nearing zero degrees, nothing could keep him away from his Cookie Cat!

"Hi Lars! Hi Sadie!" he exclaimed as he ran in. "One Cookie Cat please!"

"Wait, you didn't hear?" Sadie asked.

"Hear what?"

"Well..."

* * *

"Here we are."

Connie Maheswaran peeked out from the moving van. Argus loomed over them, and she was at once excited and terrified. A strong gust of wind made her wince and she got colder as her hat began to slip off. Thankfully, her mother grabbed it just in time.

"Adjust your scarf," she said, leaving no room for argument as always while firmly replacing the hat over her ears

Connie obeyed, eyes flickering to dad as he adjusted his hat and coat as well, tail stilling underneath. Her teeth bit against the fabric with anxiety as the van continued through the streets.

* * *

"Miss Nikos, how does it feel to have won the Mistral Tournament?!"

"Well-"

"Miss Nikos, how do you feel in setting a new record of consecutive wins?!"

"I-"

"Miss Nikos, what are your plans after this?!"

"That-"

"Miss Nikos, what combat school do you intend to enter after you graduate from Sanctum?!"

Phyrra Nikos suppressed a wince as the cacophony made her ears ring and her head began to ache from the flashing lights- it didn't help that she only just finished her last match just a few minutes ago and was exhausted. Quickly, her mother guided her away from the reporters and cameras and back into her private locker room. "Thank you," she whispered as she slumped against her.

Her mother smiled as she adjusted her glasses. "Always."

* * *

Ozpin finished going over the reports one more time. Amber would be heading into the countryside to visit family and wouldn't be back for some months. Qrow had yet to come back from his last mission- an escort- and Glynda had gone out some time ago to investigate budding faunus protests in the city. The Gems were-

His stomach plummeted for a moment and ice crept in his veins as he remembered. Ozpin's fingers trailed to the locket hidden beneath his turtleneck.

Fourteen years.

How had it been so long, yet so short a time since then? His chest ached with too many emotions to name.

_Rose..._


	2. Chapter 2

“Oz?”

Ozpin would have put the locket away or hid it on instinct, but it was Qrow’s voice. He relaxed a bit in his chair as Qrow leaped down from the gears, a few stray feathers hitting the floor.

Ozpin’s lips flickered a bit with genuine cheer at seeing his friend had returned. “It’s good to see you’re well.” 

Qrow saluted sarcastically, but his smirk was good-natured and triumphant. “James and I got more leads.”

He pulled out some photos; one was of a circular chasm that water rushed down. Another was against sand dunes, a pyramid in the distance. The third was of a mountainous area (a stray goat stared at the camera) and a floating rock structure.

“Well? Think these’re the real things?”

Ozpin looked over them, mind racing as old memories and emotions flickered against his subconscious. 

“Yes- _yes._ Thank you _so much_ for this.”

Qrow’s smile softened. “Tell th’ gems and Starkid I said hi, yeah?”

“Of course.”

* * *

“Heeeey Pyrrha!”

Pyrrha smiled a bit as Jenny Pizza pulled her into a hug from behind, Buck Dewey and Sour Cream coming up on either side of her. “How’s the Invincible Girl holdin’ up after winnin’ the cup four years in a row?”

She suppressed a frown at the nickname but make her smile light. “All right, Jenny; and the rest of you?”

“We were planning on heading to the shed; maybe play some music, order out?” Sour Cream gave a short shrug. “I mean, if ya wanna come with...”

Pyrrha’s smile became sadder; she would have loved to hang out with them. But she was already being rushed to another interview in an hour. “Perhaps another time?” she suggested, trying to keep her tone light.

Buck sighed, adjusting his visor. “I love you Pyrrha, but all you ever do is work. Don’t you wanna at least take some time to celebrate?”

_…_

“Well, if you ever wanna hang out...” Jenny gave her a playful wink but Pyrrha could tell she was disappointed.

She wanted to join them, so badly.

* * *

Lars watched their interaction from outside the window of the shop, toying with his earphones a bit while Sadie counted up the drawer.

“Ugh, they’re all. So. Cool...” Lars groaned from where he slumped against the table.

The top four students at Santcum Academy; daughter of a successful restaurant owner, one of the sons of the only fisherman who would venture out to grimm infested water for a haul, the son of one of the few faunus mayors of Argus and the four-time champion of the Mistral Cup, who even got her face on Pumpkin Pete’s cereal boxes.

All of them were so far out of his league, it wasn’t even funny.

“Lars, we gotta start stocking the...” 

Lars turned his headphones up to it’s highest volume as Sadie began talking.

* * *

_“The nerve of that woman!”_ ’Need more time, extra precaution,’ my foot! She thinks just because she manages the garrison, she has authority over the entire city!”

“Priyanka, it’s okay...”

 _“It’s not okay!”_ Connie’s stomach twisted at the note of desperation in her voice. “We had everything we needed to make this transfer work, and that- that woman-!”

Connie jumped at the sound of a fist slamming against a horizontal surface and the girl curled up against her bed, fangs nearly biting into her gums from how tightly she grit her jaw as her ears flattened further against her skull. Any motivation to finish unpacking was gone.

A gentle knock startled Connie out of her thoughts and she was afraid when dad opened it. But his expression was gentle as he said, “There’s a library we passed on the way here. Wanna check it out?”

Her ears perked up. Connie had already read everything she had on her during the trip, and she was already nodding her head with eagerness.

Anything to take her mind off of what she had heard earlier. 

* * *

_Okay, I wish I didn’t have to destroy the Cookie Cat fridge… or eat all of that ice cream…_ Steven groaned as he massaged his stomach, trying to focus on filling his backpack. _But on the plus side I can summon my shield AND use my aura! Now if only I can figure out how to activate the former..._

He loaded up his backpack with the essentials- tool and first aid kits, huntsman rations (that were way too dry, maybe he could look up the recipe to make it better!), water canteen. 

_This is an important visit, I can’t mess it up!_ He thought with determination, hands slapping his cheeks a bit. _Gotta be serious- Serious Steven!_

_… maybe I’ll bring Ranger Guy along just in case we’re out longer than expected. And a book. Ooh, maybe one of the newest Pilot Sun manga volumes- Oh right! Can’t forget this!_

Steven quickly flipped through his Cookie Cat notebook and looked over his notes.

 _Pearl is all precise and in tune with everything around her, Amethyst just relaxes and Garnet… does Garnet stuff. But all of them have different ways to bring out their weapons… so what’s_ my way?

* * *

_“Don’t worry, Steven. I’m sure you’ll figure out how to activate your gem.”_

_“Yes. In your own, Steven-y, way.”_

* * *

_That’s right,_ Steven thought as his fist clenched, smile determined. _I’ve still got a ways to go, but I’ll get there. I just have to keep moving forward._

“Yo Stev-o!” Amethyst called from downstairs. “Comin’ or what?!”

“Yeah!” Steven yelled back down, quickly grabbing Ranger Guy and the manga before zipping the backpack up.

“Okay Steven,” Pearl said as he came down the stairs, “let’s go over-” 

Steven was already reciting, “For huntress work, you’re Gardenia Nehung, Aster Dionysus and Primrose- mostly Prim- Sholto, and I’m interning with you to learn huntsman stuff!”

Pearl blinked in surprise before giving a relieved smile. _“Very_ good, Steven!”

Amethyst scowled softly before Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are we taking the forest route today?” Steven asked quickly. “It’s pretty and we’ll have plenty of cover! Ooh, or maybe we could take the main road down? It’s by the gate but it’s quicker!”

Garnet was silent for a moment, before her fingers adjusted her shades. “The forest.”

* * *

The snow crunched under his feet and the wind felt dry on his face, but not as cold as it used to. Steven smiled into his scarf as his body shone a reddish-pink; aura or not, safety was still important! It did feel strange to go up the hill outside of Argus for anything outside of training purposes, but the fact he wasn’t constantly winded meant that said training was definitely working!

“We’re nearly there. Get ready, everyone,” Garnet spoke.

Steven quickly gave a delighted salute before Pearl and Garnet typed a few buttons into the bracers they wore and their forms flickered with light. He watched with amazement as his guardians took on their Huntress identities… but Amethyst kept walking, hands tightened into fists.

“Amethyst,” Pearl spoke, tone warning.

“We got a few more meters,” Amethyst muttered.

“Amethyst.”

She scowled at Garnet’s voice before fiddling with the brace. “It’s okay, Amethyst!” Steven laid a hand on her now dull brown shoulder. “I think you look cool either way!”

Amethyst give a lopsided smirk as she ruffled his hair through his hat. Soon, they made it to the opening of the Brunswick Farms. The head farmer was there to greet them, eyes flickering to Steven for a moment.

“Hi!” he chirped. “I’m Steven, and I’m learning from-"

“Keep him out of the way,” the head farmer immediately cut him off, not even bothering to look his way as he spoke to Garnet. “He can stay in the house over there. And if he breaks anything, it’s coming out of your pay, got it?”

_Hmm… he must be really tired. I’m sure he’s not like this all of time!_

Steven was a little disappointed at not being able to be around the gems, but he was still excited to be outside of Argus, and around so much nature! There were barely any trees or gardens in the city, just flower pots and some shrubberies-

**Thud!**

Steven jumped at the noise before hearing a door open and a fretful, “Oh, not again.”

Steven blinked as he heard a groan of annoyance and pain. He peeked from the door to see an older woman helping a boy with freckled olive skin and black hair back into bed from where he had fallen down face-first. Steven winced at seeing the bandages wrapped around his leg- that looked like it hurt!

“You need to rest.” Her voice is empathetic but firm as she re-tucked the blanket under the mattress. “You are incredibly lucky that that gem monster didn’t hurt you worse...”

The boy was silent, fists clenching around his blankets with a look of frustration. “Do you want me to get Gale, or Andy?”

“It’s okay, I don’t want to bother them, Miss Melville,” the boy said quickly before adding, “I’ll be fine.”

Miss Melville sighed softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Please don’t push yourself, Oscar. Here, take this...”

Steven frowned as she left, not noticing where he had been hiding. He felt horrible; if he had been able to fight and help properly, that boy Oscar wouldn’t have gotten hurt by the Centipeetles! But what could he do?

_That’s it!_

* * *

When Oscar opened his eyes back, the sun was already going down. He frowned softly; his sleeping schedule was definitely going to be messed up by-

_?_

On the nightstand were a few strange looking books underneath a… doll? Oscar flipped through the books, blinking at the pictures and word bubbles; comics? He pulled the note on the back off.

Sorry you’re not feeling well! Please enjoy the books! Also this is Ranger Guy and he’s super cool and will make you feel better! Promise!

Oscar turned the little figure over his hands- it was white and blue with a hat and made of hard plastic. He raised the little figure- Ranger Guy, apparently- near the window, mind flickering back to when he had played along with his parents. He didn’t have many toys growing up, and usually either read or helped with chores when he was younger. 

He smiled softly. “Thank you… whoever you are.”

* * *

“Come on, Steven,” Garnet motioned him over with a gentle smile.

Steven grinned in excitement as Pearl began to set up the call, typing quickly before the video feed popped up.

**[“Hello everyone.”]**

“Hi Unc- hi Oz!” Steven exclaimed. “Wow, you look really professional! It’s kind of weird!”

“Steven!” Pearl admonished but Ozpin only gave a soft chuckle of fond amusement. 

“It’s good to see you, Ozpin,” Garnet said softly.

Amethyst just gave a nod of acknowledgment, eyes flickered away. “Yo,” she muttered faintly.

**[“I have some more leads for you. I’ll be sending them over.”]**

A few windows popped up on the laptop and Pearl brought them up before gasping, “The Moon Goddess temple has resurfaced!”

“Looks like the Sand Castle’s being weird again,” Amethyst remarked.

“The Heaven and Earth Beetles...” Garnet whispered.

Steven stared in wonder at all the locations being shown. They all looked so amazing, and there must be so much gem stuff and treasure in those mysterious magical places!

**[“Qrow sends his greetings.”]**

Amethyst perked up at that. “Tell him t’ visit sometime, huh? And bring Tai with- I miss those two!”

“He’s not allowed near the temple if he’s drunk,” Pearl huffed, arms crossed. “Honestly, he’s in enough danger already, he doesn’t need that vile concoction making things more difficult for him!”

“We’ll be happy to have Qrow,” Garnet said before smiling gently, “and we’ll be even happier to have you.”

“Yeah!” Steven cheered. “Come visit the temple sometime, Uncle Oz! We could have a big ol’ sleepover, just like old times!"

Oz’s expression became softer, a nostalgic smile flickering on his lips. **[“If I am able to… I would like that.”]**

The gems seemed to lighten up at this, even Amethyst's smile widening and Steven was relieved. "we'll leave the two of you to talk proper." Garnet led Pearl and Amethyst out despite the two's protests. "Try not to stay up to late, either of you." 

**["Yes, Garnet."]**

"Got it!" Steven chirped before the door closed behind him.

 **[“… Steven.”]** Uncle Oz’s eyes flickered, wearing an expression Steven only saw whenever no one else was around. **[“How… are you settling in? I know Argus is very different from Patch-”]**

“Well, not really. It’s pretty huge and there’s lots of people and it’s colder and there’s a lot to do-” Steven blinked. “Well, it is kind of strange. A lot bigger, and more crowded... and I miss the others. Uncle Qrow and Tai, and..."

His eyes flickered to the framed photograph on the windowsill, of the two girls- one with blonde hair tied into pigtails and lavender eyes, the other with short black and red hair and silver eyes- smiling happily alongside him, surrounded by books and flowers. His expression softened with sadness for a moment, but Steven’s palms came up to slap at his cheeks a bit before he turned back to Oz.

“It’s okay. I get why we have to do this; you and mom help people, but some people don’t like that. So we have to be careful. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

He smiled, hoping it would make him feel more confident. “Once I get stronger, we won’t have to hide anymore. I’ll protect you, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and dad, just like mom did.”

**_[“Please... let me finish.”]_ **

Uncle Oz’s voice was still gentle but the sadness and urgency made Steven pause. **[“Steven, you are your own person first and foremost. You are not under, nor will you ever be under, any obligation to follow the same path your mother took, nor make the decisions she made, no matter what anyone says. You have nothing to prove to us, because we know you will be great whatever you path you choose.”]**

Uncle Oz smiled at him with all the faith, trust and love in the world. _**[“Your family believes in you, loves you and supports you no matter what.”]**_

Steven stared astonished, eyes burning with tears. "Th-thanks..." he sniffled, wiping at his eyes.

At that moment, there was a low buzzing on the other side and Uncle Oz's expression fell a bit. "It might be important!" Steven said quickly. 

He pulled out his scroll and read over the text, eyes closing. **["I'm afraid I must cut this short, Steven."]**

"It's okay! We gotta get to bed soon anyway, like Garnet said!" Even as his stomach fell in disappointment, Steven understood how important this could be. "It was really nice talking with you! M-maybe we can talk again this week?" 

**["... as you wish."]**

The call ended and Steven swallowed the lump in his throat, wiping at his eyes once more. His eyes trailed to the painting in the living room, of his mother. The stories he heard of her, her kindness and strength, how much his family loved her... 

_How can I protect them if I can't materialize mom's shield when I need it most?_ he flipped through his notebooks, his notes and sketches spread out. _Maybe I should make my own weapon- maybe a sword, like Hope Blossoms? Ooh, maybe a cane like The Long Memory! OH! A cane sword sounds even cooler- best of both worlds! Gotta get my pens and pencils- and more paper!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (looks at nearly nine-month long gap)
> 
> I can explain.
> 
> 1\. Executive Function disorder kicking my ass.  
> 2\. Covid.  
> 3\. The riots near my home.
> 
> Pyrrha is one of the cool kids here, and her dynamic with Jenny+Buck+Sour Cream already have ripples. If they were a team, they'd be called Team PPDS (Paradise) or JDSN (Jadesheen) and some do call them that due to how the four are seen as such a power quad.
> 
> Nehung is a famous prophet, specifically the state prophet of Tibet. Dionysus is the Greek God of grape-harvest wine and wine-making, most of which are purple. Sholto means "seed". These are the latest aliases the gems use around humans and faunus. 
> 
> This Steven is less of a stranger to secrets and lies, considering who Oz and the gems' enemies are (and the one they don't know will be coming). The Steven of Remnant is going to go down a path that has the same beats as canon! Steven, but they will hit in different ways, come at different times and have different types of impact.
> 
> Steven doesn't often see Oz as Professor Ozpin Headmaster of Beacon.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo anyone who follows my tumblr (and the sideblog I made for this specifically but have neglected ^^;) knows that this has been sitting my brain for a while. And honestly? Volume 6 of RWBY was what kicked it off. Oz's backstory still shakes me to my core and I wondered what it would be like if he had the gems by his side; to have constant companions who loved him and wanted to protect their home from anyone who would harm it.
> 
> As a heads-up, I've been going through a rough patch for the past seven-eight months, so updates may be sporadic and depend on my mood/mental health.


End file.
